Saha Sanjoy, Dorling James L, Apolzan John W, Beyl Robbie A, Hawkins Keely, LeBlanc Monique M, Martin Corby K
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Child Obes. 2025 Mar;21(2):184-192. doi: 10.1089/chi.2024.0300. Epub 2024 Nov 12.
School lunch is an important nutritious food source for children. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal patterns guidelines have been established to promote healthier school lunches. This pilot study compared food selection during lunch in a school cafeteria with the NSLP meal pattern guidelines. Food intake and waste were also examined in relation to food selection. In a cross-sectional design, data were collected from children in the 1st, 6th, and 10th grades from a school in the United States. The digital photography of foods method was used to assess children's food selection, intake, and waste at lunch over 3 weeks. Results were presented as percentage, frequency, and mean ± standard deviation. About 48 children from 1st grade, 47 from 6th grade, and 50 from 10th grade participated each day. Food selection in these grades consistently fell below the NSLP guidelines, with 69%, 79.8%, and 86.9% of children selecting less than the guidelines for energy, respectively. On average, only 10.4% of children selected vegetables at or above the guidelines. About 41% of the selected energy, 43% of fruits, 43% of vegetables, and 56% of milk were discarded as plate waste across all grades. Selection of energy and vegetables was consistently below the NSLP guidelines, yet almost half of the selected fruits, vegetables, and milk were wasted by children. Initiatives to enhance meal quality and variety, along with nutrition education interventions and school policies, are needed to improve food selection and intake and reduce food waste.
学校午餐是儿童重要的营养食物来源。已制定国家学校午餐计划（NSLP）膳食模式指南以促进更健康的学校午餐。这项试点研究将学校自助餐厅午餐期间的食物选择与NSLP膳食模式指南进行了比较。还研究了食物摄入量和食物浪费与食物选择的关系。在横断面设计中，从美国一所学校的1年级、6年级和10年级学生中收集数据。采用食物数码摄影法评估儿童在3周午餐期间的食物选择、摄入量和浪费情况。结果以百分比、频率和均值±标准差表示。每天约有48名1年级学生、47名6年级学生和50名10年级学生参与。这些年级的食物选择一直低于NSLP指南，分别有69%、79.8%和86.9%的儿童选择的能量低于指南标准。平均而言，只有10.4%的儿童选择的蔬菜达到或超过指南标准。在所有年级中，所选能量的约41%、水果的43%、蔬菜的43%和牛奶的56%被作为餐盘废弃物丢弃。能量和蔬菜的选择一直低于NSLP指南，但儿童所选的水果、蔬菜和牛奶几乎有一半被浪费了。需要采取提高膳食质量和多样性的举措，以及营养教育干预措施和学校政策，以改善食物选择和摄入量并减少食物浪费。
